Saturday, August 24, 2013

We all have students who have a hard time staying on topic. There are many reasons why kids have trouble with this skill.

1. Attention Issues2. Poor Impulse Control2. Fear of Forgetting the Thought4. Not Understanding the Topic5. Poor Pragmatic Language SkillsThere are also many ideas out there to help students to stay on topic and the goals should always center around the reason for the difficulty. A Thought Box is a simple strategy that may help all students to stop and think about their thought.

A Thought Box is:

- a concept and not literally a box (although it could be)

- a place for students to document thoughts

- a compensatory strategy for topic maintenance

Students are asked to write down or draw the thought instead of blurting out a comment, response, or answer. Next, they need to ask themselves a few questions.

1. Is it relevant to the topic? 2. Is it the appropriate time to give input or ask questions? 3. Can it or should it wait?
Examples of thought boxes may include: - a pack of post it notes - dry erase board - journal bookIt is wise to introduce this skill in a one-on-one or small group setting. The long-term goal is for students to recognize their thoughts and improve topic maintenance skills within the classroom.
Here is a fun activity that would pair nicely with the Thought Box concept:

Saturday, August 10, 2013

I'm so happy you've found my page. We SLP bloggers have been working hard for the past month to get ready for this huge blog hop.

Use the linky tools at the bottom of the page to hop from blog to blog collecting freebies, SLP ideas, and the secret code words. When you have collected all 17 to form the secret message you will be able to enter and win some great prizes.

About me: My name is Jennifer Moses and I'm an SLP for grades 4-8 in a public school.

As my screen name (SLPrunner)would imply , I run. I ran my first 1/2 marathon in March and am running one again in September. The thing is, I have a hard time getting and staying motivated and I need accountability. For this reason, I chose my screen name, have a bumper sticker on my car that reads "Runner Girl," and lately I've been engaging my Facebook Followers for weekly motivation, inspirational quotes, and tips. The accountability helps me to stay on track (pun-haha). I know how tough it is to stay focused on a goal and often think of my students on my runs.
Many times our students don't know why they are receiving services and/or may not be motivated to make changes. How do we increase student motivation, ownership, progress, and carry-over of skills? I've found that student-directed rubrics and punch cards are great ways to accomplish this.

Student directed rubrics are developed with the student and for the student to have an active role in assessment. In turn, the SLP has data documentation to share with parents, RTI groups, and IEP teams. In addition, the generalization rate may improve as students, para-educators and classroom teachers use the rubrics in other settings.

Teachers Pay Teachers followers receive 50% off all new products for the first 24 hours. Here is my brand new product (click image).

Thanks for hanging out with me and have fun on the rest of your blog hopping adventure.

Blog Hop:5 Winners will receive a goodie bundle of TpT products from our stores!Here is my donation to the collection:

$4.00: Targeting Language in Common Coreclick schoolhouse to download

1 Grand Prize Winner will receive the above in addition to the following: TpT Gift Card for $50Speech and Language Apps: Little Bee Speech, Virtual Speech Center, and Kid In Story from LocoMotive Apps Contest rules:

* You must decode a secret message* In order to complete this task, you will need to visit each of the 17 blogs and find the OWL CLUE* When you enter the contest through Rafflecopter below, you will be asked to type in the secret code. Have fun and enjoy blog Hopping with us! The contest will run from Aug. 11-17.Good Luck Everyone! Find my secret code:

Thursday, August 1, 2013

Middle Schoolers- I love em' but I know that sometimes they hate coming to me. I learned about "The Big Lie" in my Middle School Philosophy Course. Adolescents often believe that everyone is watching them all of the time. They are very egocentric and want desperately to fit in. Speech and Language Services don't fit in really well with that idea.

While "The Big Lie" is just that, I don't want my middle school students to feel singled out, stereotyped, or different from their peers. Here are some things that I do to be respectful and careful not to draw attention to the students whom I serve.1. Email: I'm fortunate that all of my students have laptops with school e-mail which is checked daily. I can now email students their schedule, remind them if they miss a session, and let them know if a schedule change has occurred. I never enter the classroom of a middle school student to pull-out for services. 2. Follow the Leader: I let my students know that I will take their lead. If they say "hi" to me in the hallway, I will respond appropriately. If they don't acknowledge me, I will respond the same way and won't be offended or consider it rude. We discuss this in length during our initial session. I let the students know that this has nothing to do with social skills, but rather their confidentiality which brings respect to the service.3. Be a Seen SLP: It's always good to get involved with the general education population. I start the year in the classrooms so that I can connect with all students. I want to be a familiar and friendly face, not "That Speech Lady." 4. Know What You Do: Every year I'm asked by middle school students, "What do you do?" (teachers ask me this too but that's another blog). I share that "I'm a Communication Specialist and all students can benefit from working with me on things like remembering information for tests, vocabulary, listening, working with others, etc". I speak in their language with their school experiences. 5. Emphasize Strengths: Most of our older students are very aware of their weaknesses. It is critical to help our students to learn about their strengths. I teach Multiple Intelligences, Learning Styles, and talk about student strengths that aren't necessarily related to school i.e sports and hobbies.6. Disability Awareness: I let students know that everybody has weaknesses. By sharing inspirational quotes and success stories of famous people/athletes who have overcome difficulties, my students begin to realize that they are not alone, and that with work they can achieve their goals. 7. Connect: It's okay to share personal experiences about your learning. I became an SLP because I had a frontal lisp. I have no ego in the speech office. I let my guard down by allowing myself to be goofy and have fun, which in turn gives my students permission to do the same. 8. Space Escape: Make your students want to escape to your room. Although it's tempting to post clowns and pirates on my door, I work hard to make my room warm, friendly, inviting, and middle-level appropriate. It's especially inviting to add aroma therapy, plants, and possibly a fruit bowl. I have a gumball machine in my office which I fill with M&Ms, Skittles, and Jelly Beans (I understand that there may be reasons that candy isn't the best option). 9. Fun: My students love gadgets. I have wind-up toys, fidget balls, and am ordering some ball and spin chairs for my active ever-growing middle students. I feel so fortunate to have the opportunity to work with the unique and endearing population of middle-level students and hope that some of these techniques may help reduce student self-consciousness and aid in better connections with your students. You may also be interested in my motivating and age-appropriate materials for middle level learners. Click HERE for my store.